Top 25 college football roundup

Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley tries to avoid a sack by Arizona's Tevin Hood (98) during the second half of Saturday's game at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz. Arizona won 39-36.

Published October 28. 2012 12:01AM | Updated October 28. 2012 12:09AM

Arizona 39, No. 10 USC 36

His team trailing by 15 in the third quarter, Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez urged his players to show a little life. Even after the Wildcats scored, they - and much of the stadium - remained quiet.

Matt Scott woke them up.

Scott didn't get a chance to play in Arizona's shootout loss to Southern California last year, but sure put his imprint on the rematch, accounting for 469 total yards and four touchdowns in the Wildcats' upset of the Trojans on Saturday.

The Wildcats (5-3, 2-3 Pac-12) had come up short in close games during their first season under Rodriguez and appeared to be headed toward another disappointment as USC receiver Marqise Lee raced past them into the Pac-12 record book.

Scott wouldn't let Arizona come up short again.

The fifth-year senior ran for 100 yards and got Arizona's comeback started with a 10-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. He threw for 369 yards, 259 of that on 10 catches by Austin Hill, and finished 27 for 50 passing.

Scott capped his day with his third touchdown pass, a 7-yarder to David Richards that put Arizona up 39-28 with just over five minutes left. He was wobbly and unable to play on Arizona's final possession after taking a hard hit, but had already done enough to give the Wildcats their biggest win under Rodriguez.

"Matt is a warrior," Hill said.

Marqise Lee had a huge day for USC (6-2, 4-2), eclipsing the Pac-12 record for receiving yards by halftime. He finished with 16 catches for 345 yards and two touchdowns, ending up with 469 all-purpose yards after a couple of big kick returns.

Matt Barkley put up big numbers, too, matching Carson Palmer's school record for 400-yard games with his third, throwing for 493 yards and three touchdowns on 31-of-49 passing.

USC finished with 618 total yards and pulled within three on Silas Redd's 10-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, but couldn't overcome five turnovers - two on interceptions by Barkley - and 13 penalties for 117 yards.

The Trojans' last shot ended when Barkley's heave on the final play was swatted down, leaving them stuck on 799 wins as a program while putting a huge dent in their national championship hopes.

They spent the first half of the rematch trying to get out of their own way.

Barkley threw his two interceptions - and nearly several others - and overthrew tight end Xavier Grimble in the end zone on a fourth down. Redd also lost a fumble in the first half and safety Jawanza Starling lost a fumble on an interception return.

Lee opened the second half with a 44-yard touchdown catch to put USC up 28-13 and break the Pac-12 record of 293 yards receiving set by Oregon State's Mike Hass against Boise State in 2004.

No. 2 Oregon 70, Colorado 14

Kenjon Barner rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 2 Oregon easily took care of Colorado in advance of next weekend's Pac-12 showdown with USC.

De'Anthony Thomas rushed for another score and added a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown before most of the Ducks' offensive starters were pulled midway through the second quarter. Redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota passed for 136 yards and two TDs.

The Ducks (8-0, 5-0 Pac-12) built a 56-0 lead by halftime and their 70 points were the most they'd ever scored against a conference opponent. It was Oregon's 11th straight overall victory dating to a 38-35 loss at home to USC last season.

The Ducks piled up 617 yards in total offense, including 425 on the ground, and the Buffs simply could not keep up.

No. 4 Kansas State 55, No. 15 Texas Tech 24

Collin Klein accounted for four touchdowns, and Arthur Brown returned an interception 37 yards for another score.

Klein was 19 of 26 for 233 yards and two touchdowns, and had 83 yards and two more scores on the ground - bolstering his credentials for the Heisman Trophy. Most of the offense came in the second half as the Wildcats (5-0 Big 12) blew open a 13-10 game to improve to 8-0 for the first time since 1999.

John Hubert added 64 yards and two rushing TDs, and Angelo Pease also scored for Kansas State, which came into the game trailing only Alabama and Florida in the BCS standings.

Seth Doege threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns for the Red Raiders (6-2, 3-2).

No. 9 Ohio State 35, Penn State 23

Braxton Miller was his usual self, running for 134 yards and accounting for three touchdowns a week after getting knocked out of a game, leading Ohio State to victory.

Ryan Shazier returned an interception 17 yards for a score early in the third quarter that gave the Buckeyes (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) the lead for good, and the Nittany Lions (5-3, 3-1) had their five-game winning streak snapped in a matchup of the Big Ten's bowl-banned perennial powers.

Miller missed the fourth quarter against Purdue after a hard tackle sent him to the hospital with a case of whiplash. He declared himself good to go by the midweek.

The sophomore quarterback reached 100 yards rushing for the sixth time this season, carrying 25 times, and only avoiding contact when it was convenient.

No. 11 Florida State 48, Duke 7

EJ Manuel threw two touchdown passes and Devonta Freeman ran for two more scores to lead No. 11 Florida State to a 48-7 victory over Duke on Saturday.

Florida State's win coupled with North Carolina State's loss to North Carolina puts the Seminoles back in control of the Atlantic Coast Conference's Atlantic Division while Duke (6-3, 3-2) dropped out of the undisputed lead in the league's muddled Coastal Division.

Florida State (8-1, 5-1) rolled up 560 yards in offense while limiting Duke to 232.

No. 17 South Carolina 38, Tennessee 35

Connor Shaw threw three touchdowns and ran for another score, and No. 17 South Carolina overcame the loss of tailback Marcus Lattimore.

Tyler Bray had driven the Vols to South Carolina's 19 with 1:08 left when he was hit from behind by defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. The ball popped loose and linebacker Shaq Wilson recovered.

Tennessee (3-5, 0-5 Southeastern Conference) forced a punt and got the ball back with 36 seconds to go, but Victor Hampton intercepted a long pass from Bray to close it out for South Carolina.

More pressing, though, is the loss of Lattimore to a serious injury. The junior was taken to a hospital after hurting his right knee in the second quarter.

Shaw finished with a career-high 356 yards passing and the Gamecocks (7-2, 5-2) rolled up 510 yards after managing only 368 combined the previous two weeks in losses at LSU and Florida. Tight end Justice Cunningham had six catches for 108 yards and receiver Bruce Ellington had six catches for 101 yards as South Carolina won three straight over the Vols for the first time in a series that began in 1903.

Bray passed for 368 yards and four touchdowns, three to Zach Rogers.

Kent State 35, No. 18 Rutgers 23

Defensive end Mark Fackler returned his second interception 25 yards for a touchdown, and Kent State forced five other turnovers in its biggest win since it started playing football in 1920.

The Golden Flashes (7-1) had been 0-22 against ranked teams, but they ended the best start for Rutgers (7-1) since the Scarlet Knights were 9-0 in 2006.

Kent State intercepted Gary Nova six times and recovered a fumble.

No. 19 Stanford 24, Washington State 17

Ed Reynolds returned an interception for a touchdown and Stanford sacked Jeff Tuel 10 times to overcome a sloppy offensive effort.

Reynolds stepped in front of Tuel's pass for the safety's fourth interception - and second returned for a score - this season early in the fourth quarter. He ran 25 yards untouched into the end zone to give the Cardinal a two-touchdown lead and highlight another dominant defense effort that held the Cougars (2-6, 0-5 Pac-12) to minus-16 yards rushing.

No. 21 Boise State 45, Wyoming 14

D.J. Harper rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 21 Boise State to its seventh straight win.

Harper scored on runs of 12 and 3 yards, and Joe Southwick completed 20 of 28 passes for 198 yards and one interception for the Broncos (7-1, 4-0 Mountain West). The Boise State offense was an efficient 12 of 14 on third down conversions and scored on all five its red zone opportunities.

No. 22 Texas A&M 63, Auburn 21

Johnny Manziel ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more - all in a little more than a half - and No. 22 Texas A&M beat struggling Auburn.

On eight possessions led by Manziel, Texas A&M (6-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) scored seven touchdowns. The only non-scoring drive run by the freshman nicknamed "Johnny Football" ended with a missed 48-yard field goal by Taylor Bertolet on the final play of the first half.

Manziel was in the game for only one series in the third quarter before watching the remainder of the rout from the sideline. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns and had nine carries for 90 yards and three scores.

Miami (Ohio) 23, No. 23 Ohio 20

Ohio gambled by going for one more play instead of a tying field goal, and Tyler Tettleton was sacked as time ran out.

The Bobcats (7-1, 3-1 Mid-American Conference) went for it all in their first game as a ranked team since 1968, when they finished the season at No. 20. They had a little history on their side - Ohio had won the last six games in one of the MAC's edgiest rivalries.

Instead, the rivalry got another notable ending.

Kaleb Patterson kicked a 31-yard field goal with 1:24 left, giving Miami (4-4, 3-1) the lead with its first fourth-quarter points in the last three games. It was up to one of the nation's worst defenses to hold on.

Tettleton drove Ohio in range to tie it, completing four passes and running twice for 17 yards. His last scramble took the Bobcats to the 7-yard line with 9 seconds left and no timeouts. Coach Frank Solich chose one more play, going for the win rather than sending it to overtime right away. Tettleton took the snap, saw no one open and held onto the ball instead of throwing it away, giving his receivers time to get open.

Pittsburgh 47, Temple 17

Ray Graham rushed for two touchdowns and caught another as Pittsburgh rolled over Temple.

The senior running back finished with 180 yards of total offense - 109 rushing and 71 receiving - as the Panthers finally broke through after starting their last season in the Big East with three straight losses.

Rushel Shell added 79 yards rushing and a score for Pitt (4-4, 1-3). Quarterback Tino Sunseri passed for 321 yards and three scores while the defense kept Temple (3-4, 2-2) under wraps until the game was well in hand.

Montel Harris ran for 72 yards and a touchdown for the Owls, but Temple simply couldn't keep pace during a first half in which the Panthers built a 24-point lead.

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